Netsuke thumbnail 1
Netsuke thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Netsuke

19th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a rat on a piece of salmon.

From the 18th century onwards, netsuke were increasingly signed with the carver’s name. Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747) was an individualist of many talents and skills, who specialised in ceramics, painting and lacquering. This netsuke is signed with ‘Kan’, one of Haritsu’s seals. Haritsu was well known for using lacquer to simulate other materials, and there are many netsuke by him in the form of imitation sticks of ink. There are also a number of netsuke with the seal of Haritsu that depict a whole or part of a fish, such as this one. Haritsu was probably one of the earliest carvers known to have signed netsuke. This example, however, is one of many 19th-century copies.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Lacquered wood, with mother-of-pearl
Brief description
Netsuke of a rat on a piece of salmon, lacquered wood with mother-of-pearl shell, signed with the 'Kan' seal of Ogawa Haritsu, 19th century
Dimensions
  • Length: 3.1cm
Style
Credit line
Salting Bequest
Object history
Bequeathed by Mr. George Salting, accessioned in 1910. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project.
Subjects depicted
Summary
The netsuke is a toggle. Japanese men used netsuke to suspend various pouches and containers from their sashes by a silk cord. Netsuke had to be small and not too heavy, yet bulky enough to do the job. They needed to be compact with no sharp protruding edges, yet also strong and hard-wearing. Above all, they had to have the means for attaching a cord. Netsuke were made in a variety of forms, the most widely appreciated being the katabori (shape carving), a three-dimensional carving, such as this one in the form of a rat on a piece of salmon.

From the 18th century onwards, netsuke were increasingly signed with the carver’s name. Ogawa Haritsu (1663-1747) was an individualist of many talents and skills, who specialised in ceramics, painting and lacquering. This netsuke is signed with ‘Kan’, one of Haritsu’s seals. Haritsu was well known for using lacquer to simulate other materials, and there are many netsuke by him in the form of imitation sticks of ink. There are also a number of netsuke with the seal of Haritsu that depict a whole or part of a fish, such as this one. Haritsu was probably one of the earliest carvers known to have signed netsuke. This example, however, is one of many 19th-century copies.
Collection
Accession number
W.442A-1910

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Record createdJanuary 8, 2004
Record URL
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